9,303. That’s how many steps the QVC Tech Trio took today--a bit on the light side for #CES2015. We walked nearly four miles and climbed nine flights of stairs, according to the data from the iOS Health app. There are so many ways to use technology to track just about everything your body is capable of, and almost any article of clothing can be digitized, right down to your socks. Today at CES, we spent a lot of time checking out wearables on the show floor, and fitness was a common theme. It was far from the only category represented, of course, but still the dominant category in wearables.
Yes, fitness isn't just a trend these days--it's a lifestyle. And so many tech companies out there (SO MANY!) are taking full advantage by jumping into the fitness and wearables categories. There's Fitbit, an industry leader in activity tracking, producing bracelets, watches, and smart scales to wirelessly monitor your activity and work seamlessly with your fitness apps and goals. Garmin and TomTom, well-known GPS manufacturers, are in on the fitness game, producing high-tech activity-tracking watches. So are athletic apparel companies. For instance, we watched sports accessories and apparel giant Under Armour launch their new tracking network, UA Record, which keeps a visual dashboard of all your activity data in one location, making it a breeze to track your fitness goals. This was highlighted by a Q&A session hosted by FoxSports writer and personality Jay Glazer. The participants? Only Hall of Fame Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr., 21-year-old PGA Tour phenom Jordan Spieth, and pro surfer Brianna Cope.
But, as we mentioned before, wearables at CES were certainly not limited to fitness. At the show, we found wearable technology suited for an astounding variety of purposes. One example was the Sproutling Baby Monitor, winner of a 2015 CES Best of Innovation Award in the Wearable Technologies category. This innovative device wraps around a baby's ankle, allowing parents to keep a technologically focused eye on their little one's sleeping pattern.
Many other wearables on display mixed fun with function, from compact GoPro cameras that you can wear on your helmet to an assortment of smart watches that let you answer calls without even taking out your phone. At the Wearable Tech Awards, presented by Stuff, we learned about winners like the LookSee bracelet, a next-gen piece of jewelry with a display that can change designs or even be personalized with your own photos. Other gadgets we found on the show floor proved that the industry isn't just making wearables for people--they're keeping pets in mind, too! We were amazed by pet-centric devices like the FitBark, which attaches to Fido's collar and allows you to keep tabs on his activity.
What kind of wearables catch your eye? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to read our next blog for another CES update!